ashley paul

finally we make the providence connection. ashley paul has been on a tear for the past couple years whether its in her solo scrawl or in the duo aster with her fiancé eli keszler. she always seems to have an endless stream of ideas, throwing down recordings and ideas that are distinct in sound and unlike anything else going on. her main weapon of choice is her saxophone, but on “its the heat” she mixes that up with guitar skronk, whispered vocals and an array rattling percussion. it’s a fragile listen but unbelievably rewarding in the end.

from the opening squeal of paul’s sax it becomes obvious that you’re going somewhere new. strained notes and ramshackle melodies mix & mingle before dissolving completely into a tangled wall of guitar debris. it’s sort of like the eerie calm after a car wreck when you’re totally on edge and everything is creaking and quaking just waiting to give out entirely. its a minimalist orchestra of tiny destruction. paul uses her voice well, adding it in at just the right moments as a last thread of hope before the end. i remain lost and happy. edition of 100, chrome tapes.